Life Changes
by pretty in orange
Summary: Some things change before you understand what's happening. Sometimes you blink and your whole life is different. Sometimes. Shiyori. T for implications and language. Title subject to change.
1. Awaken

A/N: I heard the song "Waking Up In Vegas" By Katy Perry and I thought of this idea. Anyway, here's the first chapter and I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach; I make no profit from this.

* * *

At first, when Hiyori started to wake up, it felt like any other morning. But she quickly discovered it wasn't when her head began to throb, she discovered Shinji beside her... and that she was naked.

Her eyes teared up, her heart drumming in her chest and the only thought running through her mind was _now I'll never be a virgin bride..._ Pulling back her hand to hit Shinji for ruining her life, something flashed.

Upon closer study, she realized she was wearing a wedding ring. Careful inspection turned up the fact that, yes indeed-y, Shinji was wearing one too.

"Oh hell no..." Hiyori whispered, trying to find something she could pull on and leave. Where was she? It looked like a hotel room, but a large one. On a nearby cart, an empty champagne bottle stood tall.

Hiyori's hands shook as she pulled on a white sundress she found on the floor. It was clearly hers, though it didn't look like anything she would wear, it was in her size. Bringing her hands to eye level, she growled. "Damn it, stop shaking." She continued her search, this time for shoes.

She came up one short, and, aggravated, heaved the one she had at Shinji. It connected with his head and he sat up.

"Where the hell am I?" He rubbed his head where the white Mary Jane had connected. "Hiyori! What's going on?" Shinji glanced down, realizing that he was naked. "Did we..." He trailed off.

"I hate you!" Hiyori screamed, rubbing the tears from her eyes. "This is all your fault!"

Shinji sighed, eyeing the empty champagne bottle. "We obviously did some things we aren't proud of..." He trailed off again.

"We got married you dumbass!" Hiyori glared at him. "And now I can't be a virgin bride to anyone because we had sex!" She collapsed onto the floor, trying her hardest not to sob as the tears fell.

Shinji froze, and then hurried to get dressed. "Hiyori..." He pulled his boxers on and started towards her, grabbing his pants and putting them on too. "There is one way to solve that problem..." He began slowly.

Hiyori managed another glare despite her tear-soaked face. "What?"

"You'd have to stay with me." Shinji studied her. "Because you were a virgin before we got married, right?"

Hiyori blinked, then grimaced. "I better have been."

Shinji nodded. "So if we stay together, you were a virgin bride."

Hiyori said nothing for once. He had a point, and it wasn't like she had married a stranger and lost her virginity to someone she didn't know. She'd known Shinji practically forever. Maybe she could make this work...

* * *

"Yeah, we know what happened last night." Lisa traded a look with Love and Rose, but it was Mashiro who spoke.

"You were freaking out because you said only a pervert would marry a girl who looks twelve." Mashiro rocked onto her toes, then heels. Toes, heels, toes, and heels again. "And finally Shinji said, 'If you're so damn worried about it, I'll marry you' and you said, 'I dare you to.' Then you guys left." Mashiro beamed at Kensei, proud of herself for remembering everything.

"You drunk dialed us at about two in the morning." Lisa added, her eyes never leaving her manga. "You," She pointed at Shinji. "Said you had consummated the marriage. Hiyori was hiccupping in the background. You both seemed incredibly intoxicated at that point, but I'm guessing the alcohol was broken out after the fact, though. Pretty hard to get so drunk and then have sex. I would know." Lisa's tone was even, but Rose let out a chuckle.

"Shut it." Hiyori snapped at the third division ex-captain. _What could I have been thinking to have sex with Shinji?_ She thought. _Could I have been so upset that I wanted to? Even when he drinks he's never so much as touched me, and we weren't drinking yet at that point. What was I thinking? I'm the dumbass..._ She turned and headed to her room before anyone could see the tears and shame in her eyes.

* * *

"So why did you just let us leave to go get married?" Shinji sighed.

Rose blinked at him. "At the time, neither of you were judgment-impaired by drugs or alcohol. You both left of your own volition. Who were we to stop you? When has anyone in this house ever stopped anyone else here from doing what they want? It didn't endanger your life, so why should we have stopped you?"

Shinji, too angry to form words, followed Hiyori to her room in hopes of calming her.

* * *

A/N: So there's the first chapter. What did you think?


	2. Beginning of the Aftermath

A/N: So here's the second chapter. Hopefully it doesn't seem as sad as the first. And it's got some cute moments in it too.

Disclaimer: Bleach, is not mine. I make no profit from this.

* * *

"Hiyori-!" Shinji began but was cut off when a flying sandal thwacked him on the nose. "You're being a child!" Shinji snapped.

Hiyori retreated to the far side of the room, her eyes fierce, but stung nonetheless. Shinji wanted to retract that statement as soon as he said it.

"Hiyori, like it or not, we're married. We can file for divorce-" Shinji began, but Hiyori cut him off, though this time verbally.

"No!" She slid down against the wall, trembling. "A marriage is supposed to be a lifetime commitment, dumbass! I can't just divorce you and act like it never happened! Ugh!" She wrapped her arms around herself, glaring at the floor.

Shinji sat beside her; she really looked beautiful in that white sundress, even though she was upset. Her hair was loose, her face flushed with anger and, her eyes darting around with nervousness. But she was gorgeous, no ifs, ands or buts about it.

"You got something to say?" Hiyori growled without looking at him.

"Just that I married the most beautiful woman in any world." Shinji murmured, tucking Hiyori's hair behind her ear.

"Bullshit." Hiyori spat.

Shinji just grinned, because although she said one thing, the blush on her face said another. Very few people knew exactly how insecure Hiyori really was, but Shinji knew. No one understood how she felt, how much it hurt to be stuck so young. Shinji had tried to imagine being stuck in his awkward youth, but he knew it had to be different for a girl.

"You weren't my first love..." Shinji began slowly, earning a glare. "But you are the best."

Hiyori growled and turned away.

This time, Shinji chose to change the subject. "Should we be worried about you getting pregnant?" He asked instead. He really had no clue what ages a girl's reproductive system matured at, and that was not something he wanted to be caught searching on Google.

"My body isn't mature enough to get pregnant. Idiot." Was Shinji hearing things, or did her voice sound broken at that? Shinji couldn't help but wonder if Hiyori had wanted kids. She just didn't seem the type.

"Well that's good." Shinji nodded. "Wouldn't want you having a baby in case we do split up." He stood and stretched out tall. "Well, I've got a hangover and I'm tired, so I'm going to go take a nap in my room. Come get me if you need anything." Standing, he headed for the door.

"We're not splitting up." Hiyori mumbled, with just a hint of anger as she stared at the floor. "I must've had a reason for wanting you to marry me, for wanting to sleep with you. So this marriage isn't over." She looked up, but Shinji was already gone. Hiyori's eyes teared up, but she brushed the water away. "I'm not giving up." She said aloud, but there was no one there to reply.

* * *

Shinji had swapped his clothes for a pair of lounge pants and was curled up in his bed when he heard the door open. He kept his eyes closed and, soon enough, he felt a small body cuddle up to him. At that, his eyes popped open. "Hiyori, what are you doing?"

Hiyori wouldn't look at him. "Just shut up." Hiyori muttered, closing her eyes and reluctantly moving closer to him. Her movements baffled Shinji, as she didn't seem to want to be so close to him. It almost seemed as if she was cuddling up to him for his benefit.

"Hey, Hiyori, listen." Shinji wanted to wrap his arms around her, but he had to make sure she wasn't there just for him. "I'm not one of those men that say wives have to please their husbands. So if you're not here for you, because you want to be here, then walk away. You're free to go back to your room and stay there as long as you want, ok?"

"Shut up." Hiyori repeated. "This will work. Now stop moving so we can get some rest, dumbass."

Shinji blinked, then draped an arm over her and closed his eyes.

* * *

Hiyori tried to settle down, but between her throbbing head, Shinji's ring flashing in her eyes, and an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach she could only describe as fluttering, she became restless.

She didn't understand why she had dared Shinji to marry her, and _let_ him _marry_ her, and she had _sex_ with _him_. And why couldn't she remember any of it? True, she'd _never_ had alcohol to compare effects, and it was a _whole bottle_, but really?

Aggravated, she switched topics. Sure, Shinji made her mad a lot, but he always took care of her. Through temper tantrums, new captains, inner hollows, everything, he had been there. Taking the kicks and punches, even bites that she doled out, keeping her out of serious trouble, he was there.

There was that.

That, and Hiyori couldn't get over the flutters in her stomach from being so close to him.

* * *

A/N: So, a, what I hope was, a cuter chapter. Did you like it? Hate it? Want to rant to me about the purple ponies? It's ok. Leave a review.


	3. Understandings

A/N: I started to write this by hand, and then I got on the computer and typed a couple pages, and then signed off and handwrote the rest, then threw that out and rewrote the end. So if it feels disjointed, please tell me.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach and I make no profit from this.

* * *

"What do you think is going to happen to them, Kensei?" Mashiro asked, hopping up and down in the doorway to Kensei's room. "Do you think they're going to stay married and have babies and-" Mashiro stopped abruptly when Kensei growled. "Kensei! I want to talk!" It was clear that Mashiro was just falling short of throwing a fit, but this time around she crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. "Stupid Kensei."

Kensei, happy to have avoided that temper tantrum, finally added in his two cents. "It's their choice if they stay together or not, Mashiro. So stay out of it." Kensei shook his head, though, to be honest, he was curious too. He knew as well as Love and Lisa did that the romantic tension had been building between Hiyori and Shinji for years. He just didn't know if it would last.

As he looked at Mashiro, he quickly reminded himself that he wasn't the most knowledgeable about if or how relationships worked, not by far. Walking over to his pouting girlfriend and kissing her forehead, he knew you didn't have to know how something worked for it _to_ work.

* * *

"Aren't you ashamed you didn't invite us to the wedding?" Love teased Shinji when the blonde stepped into the living room. Shinji shot Love a half-hearted glare, but then plopped onto the couch.

"I don't feel like being picked on right now." Shinji put his feet up on the coffee table, until, barely two seconds later; Lisa shoved them onto the floor.

"He's married and still can't be trained." Lisa said, tone even and straight-faced. Rose laughed out loud. "You have no room to laugh at that." Lisa added, silencing her boyfriend.

"What's wrong?" Love asked, suddenly serious. "Did your wifey kick you out of your room?" He busted out laughing, and Shinji was left the only truly sober-faced one in the room.

"Hiyori isn't feeling well." Shinji looked at Lisa in particular when he said it. "She said she was tired, and you know she acts like death itself is coming after her when she has to go to sleep."

"I'll check on her." Lisa stood up and headed for Shinji's room, where Hiyori was. "Hiyori..."

"You think she's pregnant?" Rose kept his voice lowered so the girls couldn't hear him, even if they tried. Well, Hiyori at least. Lisa with her super-hearing could probably hear him, but chances were she was thinking the same thing.

"She said she couldn't get pregnant." Shinji shook his head. He felt helpless; all he could do was hope that Hiyori wasn't pregnant.

Silence blanketed the three men.

* * *

"Hiyori, what's wrong?" Lisa asked for the third time. "If you don't answer me in the next five minutes, I'm taking you to the ER." Hiyori fixed Lisa with a glare at that.

"I'm just tired." Hiyori pulled the blankets up to her chin. "And I want to be alone! Get the hell out of my room!"

"This is Shinji's room." Lisa sighed. "And you seem depressed." Lisa and Hiyori didn't have the best track record, but Lisa had tried to be there for her when she could. "Married life isn't treating you well then?"

"Shinji isn't a terrible husband..." Hiyori muttered, not looking at Lisa. "But the dumbass keeps saying 'we can file for divorce' and things like 'in case we split up'. I hate it! I will make this marriage work!"

"Calling him dumbass isn't going to make him feel any better about you two staying together." Lisa sighed. "I know you're used to always getting your way with Shinji, but love is a give and take. If you want to stay together, you have to act like you want to be with him. Love is a two way street, Hiyori. You can't keep going one way and expect everything to work."

Hiyori couldn't hold Lisa's gaze anymore. "I hate this."

"If you hate being married so much, then divorce him." Lisa shook her head. "But if you want to stay with him, then try to treat him as an equal." She stood and walked out of the room, shaking her head still.

Hiyori bit the inside of her cheek to keep from crying.

* * *

"I really doubt there's anything physically wrong with her." Lisa sat back down beside Rose. "Probably some slight depression, but that's all." She turned to Shinji. "You. Don't let her get away with everything. She's upset because you're saying things like 'we can file for divorce' or 'in case we split up'. You're hurting her feelings. But in the same vein, you can't let her get away with beating you up or screaming at you over little things. You two are married now, and you need to work together to find happiness. Now go talk to her." Lisa waited until Shinji disappeared down the hall before picking up some josei genre manga off the coffee table and beginning to read.

"Reciting something out of a manga?" Rose murmured in her ear.

"Pretty close. A few modifications had to happen." Lisa leaned on Rose gently.

Rose laughed quietly.

* * *

"Hey, Hiyori, you gonna be ok?" Shinji sat beside Hiyori on the bed, then slowly kicked his feet up beside her. When she didn't protest, he put his hands behind his head. "Hiyori?"

There was a pause. "What?" Hiyori wouldn't look at him and she sounded tired.

"I think we'll make it." Shinji offered up a grin, even though she wasn't paying any attention. "It probably won't be too easy, but I'm willing to give it a go. Aren't you?"

"Shinji." Hiyori rolled over to look at him. "You're still a dumbass... but thanks." She kissed his cheek once.

"We're gonna have to work on that." Shinji grinned. He couldn't resist teasing her a little, despite that he had just gotten a kiss. "You're going to have to have to call me honey from now on." Hiyori growled, but she didn't hit him. This time she took the extremely low road and shoved him off the bed. "I was kidding!" Shinji yelped as he hit the floor. Damn, that girl had a temper that was hotter and quicker to burn than any fire, no matter the accelerant. Hiyori peered over the side of the bed, a small smile on her face. It was spliced with a smirk, and Shinji wasn't quite sure whether to trust it or not.

"Here, Baldy." She offered her hand. "Get up." That in and of itself gave Shinji bad ideas, but he gingerly took her hand and let her help him up.

"I hit my head, will you kiss it better?" Shinji pouted, touching the back of his head where it had connected with the bedpost on the way down.

"Don't push it." Hiyori snapped, letting go of his hand. After giving him a long, long look, she stood and darted out the door.

Shinji shook his head ever so slightly. It would take a lot to win her over completely, but at least she was feeling better for now.

* * *

A/N: I had four pages handwritten for this chapter from the point where Lisa began to talk to Hiyori on, but I threw them out. Anyway, what'd you think?


	4. Remembrance

A/N: I'm hoping to stay up really late and get a lot of work done, but it's just... I'm so loopy right now. And my brain keeps going to Hallibel and Starrk. So we'll see how this goes, won't we?

* * *

_Bright lights. Flashing signs. Hiyori wasn't exactly sure where she was, but it looked like a memorable place to get married._

_"I bet you wouldn't marry me." Hiyori growled, goading him. "I bet you're just bluffing to make yourself look like a good person. I bet you're a dumbass and a liar!"_

_"We'll see about that." Shinji growled. The sad thing was he appeared to be having fun with this. "Come on, keep up Hiyori!" He grinned at her, all anger gone, and pointed to an all hours, Vegas-type chapel. Hiyori blinked, realizing that he really would marry her. Should she back out? No. She didn't want to look stupid, and she didn't want to be alone forever. And she did care about Shinji. A lot more than she ever wanted to admit._

"_You're just faking." Hiyori rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't marry me if I was the last woman on earth."_

"_Oh really?" Shinji tugged her into the neon-signed chapel. "Come on then, and we'll see about that."_

"_Fine!" Hiyori followed willingly. The woman at the desk scowled at Shinji._

"_How old is _she_?" The woman asked, popping her gum. "Because she doesn't look legal." The woman radiated alcohol, and even though Hiyori wasn't on par with her in height, she could smell the cheap bourbon on her._

_Leaning in, Shinji whispered to the lady, just loud enough that Hiyori could hear if she strained, "She has a condition where her growth was stunted severely. She's actually eighteen, but don't comment on how she looks. She gets really upset."_

_Hiyori's eye twitched just as the woman glanced over. "Oh, of course. If we take that hair down she'll look older for the photos. Don't worry about it."_

"_Thank you so much." Shinji grinned at Hiyori. "See, I told you it'd be alright sweetheart."_

* * *

"Hiyori, you alright?" Shinji peered into her room, eyeing the girl's sweat-drenched face. "Were you having a nightmare?"

"No!" Hiyori snapped, shivering and wrapping the blankets around herself more. The funny thing being that it had been so far from a nightmare, but that it had still made her nervous. But oh, she had remembered how they got married, and that was important. She had needed that immensely. "Get in here, dumbass." She muttered, moving over so he had somewhere to sit. She felt almost too soft for her own taste, but she reminded herself that Shinji was her husband. She needed to be a _little_ nicer or risk losing him.

"What's wrong?" Shinji lay beside her on her bed. "What were you dreaming about?" He rolled on his side to look at her, and then retrieved a pillow from the floor to lay his head on. "Hiyori?"

"I remembered how we got married." Hiyori hissed. Why was her heart beating like crazy? He was just laying there looking at her, and her heart was nearly drowning out anything she said by beating in her ears. Was it because he cared, because he was worried about her? Or was it the fact that he was laying with her in a bed? Hiyori bit the inside of her cheek.

"Yeah, so did I." Shinji sighed. "But it'd be an interesting story to tell, wouldn't it?"

Hiyori blinked. Yeah, there was that, but it wasn't exactly what she wanted to think of her wedding night as.

Almost as if he had read her mind, Shinji continued. "We'll renew our vows in a year or so and make it like a real wedding, ok? Will that make you feel better?"

Hiyori closed her eyes, trying so hard not to cry. She never cried in front of Shinji. She had known him for hundreds of years, and the only person she'd ever truly broken down, cried and felt pathetic in front of was Captain Kirio. And once, almost Lisa, but it hadn't quite happened.

"Hey, c'mere." Shinji pulled her close. "Ya know, I've always wanted you to be happy. I'm just trying harder now. So dry those tears, alright?"

"You're so pathetic..." Hiyori muttered, but her voice had a warm tone to it.

"Yeah, I know." Shinji laughed, his breath on her ear. "Just your type, eh?"

Hiyori let loose one chuckle, just one, and then closed her eyes. She'd needed that.

* * *

A/N: Yes, a shorter chapter, because I feel I have so much to do tonight and so little time. I'll likely be answering reviews until pretty late, so if you have any questions or comments tonight it should be answered right off the bat.


	5. Nightmarish Memories

A/N: This was deemed my project for the night, but I doubt there will be more than one add on this tonight. I'm exhausted and likely sick, so staying up very late is out of the question. Anyway, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, nor do I make any profit from this.

* * *

Midnight, two days later, found Hiyori wide-awake, trying to control her panicked breaths. "Damn it..." She muttered, trying to force down the panic, stomp down the tears and push away the memory of her dream. She reminded herself that the event she had dreamed about was hundreds of years ago, that the person who had killed her was long gone. When that failed, she vaulted her alarm clock at the wall, shattering it and probably waking everyone in the house.

"What's all that noise?" Kensei yelled from several rooms down, and he didn't sound sleepy at all. He was probably busy with Mashiro, as far as Hiyori could guess, but Mashiro either had no comment or had been told to be quiet.

"Kensei, be quiet!" Lisa snapped from the other end of the hall. "Some people are trying to read." That just figures.

Hiyori pulled her blankets up over her head. "All of you shut the hell up!" She growled, but her voice shook. Cursing a long string of words that most people didn't know that she knew, Hiyori turned away from the door and buried her face in her pillows.

"Hiyori, you alright?" Shinji poked his head into his wife's room. Looking down, he sighed. "What'd the alarm clock ever do to you?" He picked his way through bits of broken plastic and sat beside her. "Want to talk about it?" He sighed.

"Go away!" Hiyori aimed a kick at him, but through the blankets and lying down, her kicks were rendered useless. "I don't want to talk about anything!" Hiyori, having successfully gotten rid of the tears, whipped the blankets down, and glared at him. "I don't need to talk about anything!"

Shinji held her chin with one hand, and swiftly wiped away a single tear pooled under her eye with the other thumb. "Missed one." He said softly, just before he lay beside her, hugging her close.

Hiyori gave up. "Fine, stay." She huffed, though she relaxed slightly when Shinji draped an arm over her. "But you try anything and you're dead."

"I wasn't plannin' on it." Shinji muttered. He closed his eyes, his hand on her back. "Go back to sleep, Hiyori. I'm here if you need anything."

The rest of Hiyori's panic quickly subsided. "Yeah, yeah, yeah..." She closed her eyes, attempting to go back to sleep.

But when she did, sleep haunted her.

* * *

_Blood. It was leaking from her chest and bubbling up into her mouth. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't think, she couldn't do anything. Hiyori Sarugaki was going to die._

_And over her stood a man. A man that she knew all too well, her stepfather Amiti. The blood-covered knife he held in his hand proved what no one else could see- he had finally killed her. All those years of beatings and relentless emotional and mental torture, he'd finally done it. The taste of blood in Hiyori's mouth faded, along with the pain, until finally, it was over._

* * *

Hiyori shot up. It wasn't even light out yet, but Shinji was watching her with worried eyes. "What're you looking at?" Hiyori knew damn well what he was looking at, his wife having a mini panic attack, but putting up fronts was something she had learned so long ago, back in her human life.

"You alright?" Shinji pulled her closer, and Hiyori found his touch strangely reassuring. "You were crying in your sleep."

Hiyori couldn't take it. She cuddled close to him, trying to take even breaths. She couldn't care less what he thought of her, not at the moment, and being close to him seemed to help.

Shinji blinked, but didn't seem to want to ask. He held her close and watched her until the sun began to rise. Hiyori still couldn't seem to get to sleep, but he didn't mind. At least her tears had dried and she didn't seem panicked anymore.

When Shinji finally did get out of bed, Hiyori leaned over onto the warm spot his body had left, closing her eyes.

No, this whole being-married-to-Shinji thing definitely wasn't so bad.

* * *

A/N: I was trying to decide for two chapters whether or not to use the idea I had about Hiyori and her stepfather. There may or may not be more to that little story after this chapter, I'm not quite sure how much detail I'll want to go into. Anyway, what'd you think?


	6. Say It Back

A/N: It's getting late, but I still wanted to add to this and do a few oneshots over on Snowflake Patterns. My one night off and it's gotten so late. Shame on me.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or make any profit off of this.

* * *

"Hiyori? Hiyori!" Shinji shook her gently. He knew that she hadn't had any sleep in the past two days, from the nightmares he suspected, but now she appeared to have a fever to boot. Sighing, Shinji tucked her back in and got a cool washcloth from the bathroom, placing it on her forehead. He didn't want to leave her alone, so eventually he sat beside her. Hiyori rarely got sick, and every time she did, he worried uncontrollably. "Hiyori..." He leaned down, kissing her cheek once, softly. "Get better..."

* * *

"Should someone check on them?" Mashiro started towards Hiyori's bedroom before Kensei grabbed her wrist. "Kensei! I want to check on them!" Mashiro pouted, and Kensei looked away, likely so he wouldn't give in.

"Hiyori's probably sick." Lisa sighed. She was stretched across the couch, with Rose sitting by her hip and a manga in her hand. "She hasn't been sleeping at all for two days."

"She needs some sleep and to settle in as Shinji's wife." Rose said, earning a "look" from Lisa.

"Will she be alright?" Hachi asked from the other side of the room.

"She'll be fine." Love laughed. "She's got her husband taking care of her." He grinned. "Hiyori desperately needs to settle down, I agree with Rose. The more she gets used to the idea of being Shinji's wife, the safer she'll feel. And then maybe she'll stop having so many nightmares and not sleeping for days at a time."

All the others in the room looked at him for a long moment before Lisa sighed. "And you wonder why you don't have a girlfriend."

The majority of the room broke into laughter.

* * *

"Morning." Shinji hugged Hiyori tightly, grateful that she was finally out of half-conscious mode. "How do you feel?" He gently lay beside her, being careful not to jostle her too much. He'd been sleeping in her room for two and a half nights, and the only time she'd slept had been that first night.

"You're a dumbass..." She muttered, throwing the washcloth off her forehead across the room. Still, feverish, she shivered and cuddled up to Shinji.

"And? I'm tryin' to take care of you." Shinji sighed, cuddling her close. "I can't have you dying on me." He closed his eyes.

"Stop breathing on my neck..." Hiyori murmured, almost a whine, and squirmed. "Dumbass!" She turned and tried to push him away, but she was too fever weakened.

"Alright, alright." Shinji pushed his face into her hair instead. "Don't push me out of bed again. That annoys the hell outta me." He closed his eyes, holding her close. "Now get some sleep, okay? You're sick because you didn't get enough rest before."

"Shut up..." Hiyori pressed her face into his shirt, seeking the warmth. "You piss me off..." Despite her cruel words, she was pulling the blankets up around them, shivering.

"I know I'm a dumbass." Shinji sighed heavily. "And I know I piss you off. But I love you, regardless of all those things, and I'm always going to." Shinji looked at her, and realized her breaths had evened out. She was limp, relaxed against him, and her face was calm. So she had fallen asleep... well, that was good enough. If she didn't want to say it back now, alright. If she slept, she'd get better, and that was good enough for him. She'd have lots of time to say it back.

* * *

A/N: Short chapter, I know. I'll try to get some more stuff up tomorrow (though not necessarily on this...) but I have to go to sleep pretty soon. Anyway, though this chapter was uneventful, what did you think?


	7. Idiot

A/N: I know! I've been horrible at adding here and on Ring True, and I'm sorry. It's been kind of insane and busy in my life. And I now have 9 projects going, which will drive me insane shortly, I'm sure. And I will have another Shiyori project after this, as this is my OTP. Enough chitchat though, I bet you guys want story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach; I make no profit from this.

* * *

"Ya better not have done anythin' to me while I was sick." Hiyori crossed his arms over her chest. She'd been more cross than usual, and Shinji couldn't figure out why. Had he done something wrong?

"I'm not a total pervert." Shinji snapped. Things were weird between he and Hiyori now. While she constantly seemed suspicious of him, she wouldn't let him sleep in his room; he had to sleep with her or not at all.

"Yeah, ya are!" Hiyori snapped. She looked away, but Shinji caught a glimpse of distrust in her eyes. "You're a pervert."

"If I was a pervert, wouldn't I want someone more voluptuous than you?" Shinji flinched at his own words; Hiyori would definitely kill him in his sleep for that. But when he looked at her, her jaw was clenched, but her eyes looked stung. "I didn't mean it." He said quickly, putting his hands up. "Don't shoot."

Hiyori didn't even make a move to slap him or kick him. Instead, she crossed her arms over her chest and darted out of the room, and then the front door slammed behind her.

He knew he should go after her, but he just didn't know how to handle her anymore. Her moods were enough to give him migraines, and the way she switched from angry to upset was so sudden he almost never saw it coming.

Sighing, he followed her outside. But there was no sign of Hiyori, and even when he went to the roof, she wasn't there. Panic squeezed into his nerves, eliciting a fire in them. He proceeded to check all around the house, but she wasn't there.

"Hirako!" Lisa's annoyed voice called out to him. "Hirako, get in here!" Lisa was rarely that pissed. What had he done?

"I'm busy!" He said loudly. He had to find Hiyori and apologize. God knew what she would do left alone so upset.

"Now." Lisa was not bluffing. Boy, he was in trouble if Lisa was mad. She was not short-tempered by far.

Shinji hurried to Lisa's room, and began to open the door. "I need help lookin' for Hiyori, I said somethin' stupid and now she-" He looked at the small, blonde figure tucked into Lisa's bed. "Hiyori?" Hiyori said nothing; instead she just pulled up the blankets, refusing to meet his eyes.

"What did you say to her?" Lisa's eyes had fire in them. Shinji was considering calling for reinforcements, but Rose knew better than to get near his girlfriend when she was this mad, Love and Hachi didn't need to be dragged into this, and Kensei would have no part in this. He was out of luck. "Shinji, what did you say to her?"

"Somethin' stupid." Shinji muttered, the look of all consuming guilt creeping across his face. On a normal day, Hiyori and Lisa didn't get along very well, but Hiyori had tried to get away from him to go _to _Lisa. He was in the doghouse for sure.

"What was it?" Lisa seemed to be cooling down at least, so Shinji could hope she wouldn't maul him.

"I said if I was a pervert I'd want someone curvier than her." Shinji sat beside Hiyori, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "I'm sorry, ya know I didn't mean it." He scooped her up, even as she gave him a halfhearted shove. "I can handle this, Lisa."

"Good." Lisa watched him exit her bedroom, as if not quite sure she should trust him with Hiyori still.

"Hiyori, can't we talk about this rationally?" Shinji sighed as he took her to her room. "I know I did somethin' stupid and I'm sorry. I'll say it a thousand times if it'll make it any better."

"You're an idiot." Hiyori muttered, but she tucked her face against his neck. "You're a real idiot."

"Yeah, I am." Shinji sighed again, heavier this time. "But neither of us is ever gonna be perfect, ok? We'll say stupid things an' we'll do stupid things, but we'll love each other. Through thick and thin."

Hiyori wrapped her hands around fistfuls of his shirt. "And you're not gonna leave me for someone prettier or curvier?" Gods, Shinji was just starting to realize exactly how insecure she was about her body. The guilt in his heart for saying what he did just grew tenfold.

"Never." Shinji grinned. "My wifey is the only woman for me."

Hiyori snorted, but she still clung to him. And Shinji wasn't about to pry her off either. She needed him, and he wouldn't deny her that. She would be there for him when it mattered, like she always had, though she had tried to act like she was being forced to be there for him, so why would he ever deny her that one thing, her husband?

He wouldn't... because he loved her, more than anything.

* * *

A/N: I have something coming up in a few chapters that, if you don't like reality smacking you in the face, you might want to bail now. Anyway, what did you think?


	8. Changes

A/N: I lied. The reality slap is in this chapter. For all of those who guessed, good try! I am a little surprised that no one got it though.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, and I make no profit from this.

* * *

Shinji woke up to a very empty bed. Panicked, he jumped out of bed, and rushed into the living room. "Where's Hiyori?" He asked, glancing around. Rose was here, along with Love, Hachi and he could hear Kensei and Mashiro talking in another room. So where were Lisa and Hiyori?

"Lisa took her out. Somewhere." Rose never took his eyes off the manga he was reading. "Why, you worried?"

"She's my _wife, _Rose." Shinji growled. He not only feared that someone was going to die while Lisa and Hiyori were left alone, but that he had done something horribly wrong yet again. "I know ya don't understand that concept, but try to think like me fer a minute."

Rose rolled his eyes. Love was trying to control his snickering, and Hachi was trying to stay the hell out of it, as per usual.

No sooner had Shinji had a thought to kill both of them, Love and Rose, than Shinji spotted Lisa and Hiyori walking in. Hiyori had a bag in her hand, and she was refusing to make eye contact with any of the men. She made herself scarce, going into the bathroom and slamming the door.

"Shinji." Lisa made a _follow me _motion and started towards her room. When Shinji started to follow her he heard Rose mutter something.

"What's that?" Shinji turned back, eyeing Rose.

"I said that even though you're married to Hiyori you're still Lisa's bitch." Rose said calmly. Shinji was just about to knock his lights out, but Lisa let out a sadistic chuckle.

"Like you have a leg to stand on." She shot her boyfriend an intense glare – apparently she was in no mood to be messed with today. Rose turned back to his manga in a hurry, Love laughing out loud. "Coming, Shinji?" Shinji would've laughed if he weren't so worried. He followed Lisa into her room, and she shut the door quietly.

"Why did ya leave without tellin' me? And take my wife with ya no less!" Shinji snapped. "I was worried!"

"Calm down." Lisa shook her head at his temper. "We had to rush out. It was an emergency." Gauging his reaction, she tried again. "A girl emergency, Shinji." When he still looked confused, she sighed. Lord knows she'd tried to be delicate, for Hiyori's sake, but some guys were just so dense. "She got her first period." Shinji blinked. So Hiyori was still growing, even if her body didn't show it. He quickly tried to focus in on what Lisa was saying. "I'm not sure how much you know about the female reproductive system, but you do need to be careful from now on." Lisa sighed, why did she feel the need to have this conversation with Shinji? Sometimes it did feel like her and Rose were parenting the rest of the lot, but hell, shouldn't he know this? He wasn't a child by any means, and now, neither was Hiyori. "She is still growing, but right now her body isn't much older than it looks. It would be dangerous for her to be pregnant in such a young body, so you two need to be careful, alright?"

Shinji nodded, still neglecting to tell Lisa- or anyone – that he and Hiyori weren't having sex anyway. And that they hadn't since their wedding night. "Right. Will do." Feeling a slight blush on his face – why couldn't Hiyori just have told him this? He could've dealt much better with Hiyori's inability to be delicate rather than Lisa's explaining. Like he didn't know all that anyway? He exited the room quickly, feeling like a child for the first time in many, many years.

He returned to his room. He had been hoping to give Hiyori some space, but there she was, curled up in his bed. "Hey, Hiyori." Shinji plastered a big grin on his face and sat beside her. "Why're ya in here?" He lay beside her, which Hiyori put up with, but when he tried to put an arm around her, she batted him away. Alright, fine. He'd dealt with her mood swings for hundreds of years, he could put up with this for a little while. "Just because you're a woman now don't mean ya get to take out whatever's wrong on me." Huh. Like she hadn't done that all the time she knew him anyway.

"Don't touch me." Hiyori growled, curling up tighter. Still, she didn't want to push him off the bed apparently, or she would've done it.

"Alright." Shinji laughed a little. Same old Hiyori, different mood swings, that was all that was different here. Hiyori's eyes started to close, and eventually she reached over, knotting one hand in his hair possessively. _Ow, ow, ow. _Was all Shinji could stand to think, so he moved a little closer to her in an attempt to make it so she wasn't pulling his hair quite so hard.

"You move one inch and I'm pulling this hair out." Hiyori muttered before she drifted off. Shinji laughed quietly, he didn't want to move one inch; that was the thing.

* * *

A/N: See? Nobody died or was pregnant! Anyway, what'd you think? I really have to get to bed now...


	9. Turning Point

A/N: I know; I'm not being very good about adding. We're having a huge family party today, which we've been trying to prepare for months, so maybe things will normal out after today. That sound good?

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. I make no profit off of this.

* * *

A week passed by, then two. Fall was hitting hard, and Shinji kept finding Hiyori outside, staring at nothing. More often than not, Shinji would either bring her coat to her, or haul her inside. Hiyori seemed so out of it, and Shinji could barely stand it. What could be wrong now? He was sure he could work through any problems with her, but when she wouldn't tell him what they were, it was nearly impossible.

"Hiyori, what's wrong with ya?" Shinji didn't expect any answer, after all he had asked that question before and he had gotten silence as a reply.

Hiyori looked at him, though only for a couple seconds before she pulled a reddish-orange leaf off a tree. "Dumbass." She muttered, but her tone was dulled and tired. There was absolutely no fire to her tone.

"It can't be that bad, can it?" Shinji watched as she crushed the fragile leaf in her hand. Maybe it could. The girl started to walk away, shivering against the bitter fall wind. Shinji took off his coat and started to put it on her. He was expecting a struggle, but instead Hiyori let him without any arguments. Pressing his luck, he scooped her up, wrapping the long coat around her. "Let's go home."

Hiyori growled in response. "I hate fall." She said when Shinji had barely taken a few steps towards the vizard warehouse.

"Yeah? Why's that?" Shinji asked, pausing in his stride.

"I died in the fall. Idiot." Hiyori seemed to relax when the words were out of her, looking up at Shinji for the first time. "The man I was supposed ta call Dad killed me." Shinji held her closer, unable to say anything. He finally understood why Hiyori was the way she was. Someone who was supposed to be trustworthy had killed her. He could forgive her for every kick, punch and sandal slap now. "Don't look at me like that!" Hiyori growled, pushing Shinji's face away from her. Shinji grinned, just happy that Hiyori was getting some of her spark back.

"How do ya want me to look at ya then?" Shinji couldn't contain the smirk that was weaving into his grin. "Like this?" He crossed his eyes. Hiyori quickly looked away to avoid laughing. "Or this?" Shinji stuck out his tongue and wiggled it. Hiyori crossed her arms, trying not to laugh. "Or this?" Shinji tipped his forehead to hers, staring deep into her eyes. Hiyori's breath caught, and she studied his eyes, not trying to get away.

"Dumbass." She muttered. "Don't tease. Just kiss." She leaned in, kissing him full on the mouth. Shinji quickly swallowed any smart-ass comments he would've made if she had pushed him away, squeezing her closer to him while being careful not to hurt her.

It was the true beginning of the beginning. But life isn't a fairytale.

* * *

A/N: Short chapter, I know. Throw your rotten tomatoes, I'll duck. But it's three AM here, and I have to actually wake up today. So, what did you think of the turning point in the Shiyori relationship?


	10. Truths

A/N: We are finally nearing the end here! I'm excited and upset at that prospect. I've spent so long working on this story, and it's sad to know that it'll be over soon. Anyway, enjoy this last chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, and I make no profit from this.

* * *

Winter passed, and became spring. And Hiyori and Shinji's relationship didn't get any more physical than it had that fall. Hiyori seemed reluctant about it, and Shinji wasn't about to pressure her. All in good time, after all, they had all the time in the world.

Hiyori ran into the house, soaked to the bone, with a green haired girl who looked like a drowned kitten following her. Mashiro darted for Kensei's room, while Hiyori tried to ring out her jacket – on the floor no less. She was shivering, and her hair was sodden and dripping on the floor. Heading for her and Shinji's room, she tried her best to wring her shirt out without taking it off.

"Ya get caught in the rain?" Shinji asked as he studied her. "Or did Mashiro shove ya into a body of water?" Hiyori made an annoyed sound, but reached into the closet, looking for something dry to wear. She was in no mood to fight. "Here." Shinji proceeded to take down Hiyori's pigtails. "They ain't goin' ta dry if you leave them up." He ran his fingers through her hair a bit. Hiyori tensed slightly, but let him, not bothering to tell him not to. Shinji shut the door. He at least needed to _ask_ why. He couldn't keep wondering. "Hiyori?"

"What?" Hiyori snapped, pulling off her shirt to reveal a nearly dry tank top. Pulling another shirt on quickly, she ran her hands down the legs of her pants, trying to decide if they were too wet to be worn.

"Why don't ya ever act like you want more from our relationship?" Shinji asked, trying his best to word it carefully. "We are married."

Hiyori frowned, barely looking at him after a few moments. "What're ya sayin'?" She asked. Shinji sighed. It wasn't like Hiyori to play dumb, but she must want out of this badly to even try.

"Do ya not want to have sex with me?" He asked, and Hiyori glanced at him. Panic coated her eyes, but Shinji quickly realized that there were tears in her eyes. What had he done wrong? Stepping close to her, he hugged her tightly. "Don't be afraid of me. Don't ever be scared of me. I can't take it."

"I ain't scared of ya, dumbass." Hiyori snapped. Still, she was tense in his arms. "I ain't scared of nothin'."

"Then what is it?" Shinji wasn't letting go of her. "What's wrong with ya?" He ran one hand through her hair, hoping it would relax her, but got no reaction except for a shiver.

"Nothin'!" Hiyori growled. "Just leave me alone!"

Shinji hadn't wanted to have to ask, but this was what it had come to. "Did yer stepfather do something to ya?" He asked softly. "Did he hurt ya in more ways than one?"

Hiyori tucked her face against Shinji's shirt, trying to hide the tears. "He didn't touch me, if that's what yer askin'."

Shinji was somewhere between hoping it was something he himself had done and hoping that Hiyori wasn't lying. "What happened then?" He tried his best not to push her too far, not to upset her too much. But he was her husband, and he'd known her for well over a 100 years, he should know these things.

"He told me I was a slut." Hiyori shrugged, but she was still hiding her face, hiding the tears in her eyes. "Told me I'd never amount to nothin'. Told me I was a good for nothin' whore who deserved to die." And then he had killed her months later. She hated herself for admitting it, but all those years, remaining a virgin, she'd been able to push back those thoughts. And then she'd had sex with Shinji – on their wedding night even – and she felt like she was all those things. It hurt more than anything else in the world.

"Hiyori." Shinji gently tipped her chin up. "How can ya be a whore when the only person you've ever slept with is yer husband?" He laughed, genuinely amused as he spoke the next words, "And that was only once. On our wedding night. How could ya ever feel like a whore for that?"

Hiyori swallowed hard. She would not cry. Kirio Hikifune didn't raise any wusses. In an attempt to hide it, she hugged Shinji tightly, burying her face back against his shirt.

"Now I ain't goin' ta pressure ya, but it is an option, alright?" Shinji smiled at her, holding her close.

Hiyori nodded silently, still trying to force the tears down. When she couldn't, she escaped through the window.

Shinji just laughed. She'd be back; she'd always be back.

* * *

A/N: And we're done here. I hope you liked this, and my next Shiyori story, Adjustments, is already in the works! Thank you for reading.


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